Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Prayers for Tiffani

If you've been reading this blog for very long, you are probably familiar with my dear friend Sunni and her little girl Ava. I would like to humbly ask all the prayer warriors out there to lift up Sunni's family this week.

Sunni's sister Tiffani is having open heart surgery on Thursday at St. Luke's hospital in Houston. Tiffani had open heart surgery once before when she was much younger. There is a valve they need to replace now that she is an adult.

Sunni, Tiffani, and their youngest sister Emili lost their mom to breast cancer when they were kids. This family has had to walk a very tough road through disease and loss. I can't think of another way to say this, but they don't have the luxury of thinking that their worst fears can't happen. Even though they fully expect that Tiffani will be just fine and they know God is holding her in His strong hands, I think the battle for peace this week will be hard fought.

Here are some specific prayer requests for Tiffani and the surgery:-Please pray for peace for Tiffani anytime she has a fearful thought.-Pray for strength and confidence for her husband Tim. Pray for peace for her dad, Mr. Panian.-Pray for precision and skill for the doctors.-Pray that the old valve that they're replacing will not be fused to the breastbone. (This is really important.)-Pray that the surgery will not have one complication and that it will go even better than the doctors expect.-Pray for her recovery to be as easy as possible.-Pray that she will never have to worry about this again! Amen!

Here are some prayer requests for Sunni:-Sunni was sick with a stomach virus yesterday. On the same day, Ava had to be taken to the doctor and then to the hospital (for x-rays) for what they thought was pneumonia. Then she had yet another trip to the doctor that evening for something unrelated. I fully believe the enemy is at work here trying to discourage Sunni, wear her down, and prevent her from being able to minister to her family this week. Please, please pray for our King to rise from His throne and make her enemies scatter. Satan is mean and he loves to come at us when we're already dealing with a lot. -Please pray for God to make Ava healthy and extra-content this week while they are in Houston. Sunni will need lots of grace while she is trying to be there for Ava and also for Tiffani, who will be in ICU for days.

I am not beyond laying prayerful hands on a picture on a computer screen! Here are Tiffani, Sunni, and Emili. Aren't they precious?

For Tiffani:Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalm 103:2-5)

For Tim and Mr. Panian:He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. (Psalm 112:7-8)

For Sunni:So they set out from the mountain of the LORD and traveled for three days. The ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them during those three days to find them a place to rest. The cloud of the LORD was over them by day when they set out from the camp. Whenever the ark set out, Moses said, "Rise up, O LORD! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you." (Numbers 10:33-35)

For the whole family:May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Thank you so much for praying. This is such a special family and I know the Lord is going to show His faithfulness in a big way. I will keep y'all updated on Thursday and Friday when I hear how Tiffani's doing.

If you have a prayer need, please leave me a comment and I will so blessed to pray for you.

I have lifted them up in prayer and will continue to do so. Thank you for sharing their story with us and allowing us the privilige of praying for them. You are so right that the enemy loves nothing more than trying to pile on the difficulty when we are facing trials, in an effort to distract and discourage us from relying on God's most holy and awesome power in our life. I pray that this family will see God move mightily in their midst and amaze them!

Amanda, thank you for sharing this with us. I read your blog all the time and for some reason (well, God), I click on Sunni's too without going to anyone else's on your blogroll (weird, isn't it?). I think I enjoy reading about your playgroup - I wish I had that here. Anyway, I WILL pray for Sunni and Tiffani and the entire family. I love the verses you shared. Thanks again!

I am honored to pray for their whole family! I know they are dear to you! I'll keep checking here for updates! God is SO good and I know they will be clinging to Him especially this week.

This post puts things in perspective for me. Sometimes I think life's concerns are so big, but after reading this I have nothing to worry about! If you wouldn't mind, please pray for me and my relationship with my mother. We don't see eye to eye and it bothers me a lot! And please pray that I trust God, not myself! Thank you, sweet Amanda!Love,Angie xoxop.s. I LOVED your pictures from your Thanksgiving vacation!

i'm having a c-section on thursday at noon at presby plano. our second daughter will be entering the world! we had a brief scare at the ob/gyn yesterday that i'm about to blog about, but all seems to be ok and on track now!

Amanda,My family will pray for your friends. Also, we will pray on Wednesday night at our Bible Study. Please pray for financial provisions for a woman in our Bible Study. Her husband fell in love with drugs, lost his mind, and beat her until she was/still is disabled. Now, he sits in prison so he doesn't have to pay child support/spousal maintenance and she is trying to provide for her beautiful daughter. And through this, her faith becomes stonger and her joy more evident! I am humbled and challenged by her. I ask for prayer because Christmas is hard when you are 12 and your mom cannot provide much. And, as a mom, Christmas is hard when you can't provide the basics much less extras for your child. As a Bible study (Jesus the One and Only), we help as much as possible but our group has a lot of significant needs right now so I am praying that God will provide in His creative way.Thank you.

Praying for Tiffani and Sunni and their families. Interceeding and watching to see God's healing happen...so very honored to pray for these dear ones.

Prayer requests? Well, you know, but I will share. I'm not ready/ able to post about it, yet. But I'd be glad to ask you and others to pray for our family. My husband was sent home from work yesterday for a week without pay and the boss said he'll decide what to do with him on Monday. Eight people were laid off two weeks ago. So Chris is searching for a new job. I am tired and weak and lack vision, discernment or understanding. God is faithful. He is good. And we need Him so very much!Love you friend...your Daddy's recipe was marvelous! We partook of it last night.Holly

Hi Amanda, please dont feel obligated to post this if you would rather not...I have never commented on your blog, and even now I am a bit apprehensive since you have no idea who I am! :) My name is Taylor; I will be twenty-one next month, and I live in Las Vegas...I am in my fifth semester of college and actively serve at my local church.

I am so willing to lay hands on that precious picture of your friends and lift them up in prayer (in fact, I already did). I just had a morning discussion with the Lord all about "believing Him" and He certainly provided an opportunity for me intercede in a matter in which He is more than able for all who are involved and all that it involves! I will continue to lift them up this week.

Also, i'm having a bit of loss for words mainly because I dont want to seem like a psycho! It's just that through reading your blog, you have been a huge encouragement to me. God has done more in my life this year in developing me for His glory than I can even believe....it's been so painful and incredibly rewarding. Pruning is not fun. But it brings more fruit. And through it, I get to know, and live in, and depend upon the One who is Everything and More than enough.

All that to say, He allowed me to find your blog (through LPM) and in a way that only He can do, "mentor" me through you.

I dont have a blog, and at this point in my life, I dont think it would be the most beneficial thing for me as He is teaching me to "manage my time!" But I will start commenting on your blog (as long as you dont mind if i continue to read it), so that you will know I am here! And honestly, if you would rather me not, for any reason, I would completely understand and not take offense. Please feel free to be completely honest.

Also, about a prayer request...of all the things I could ask for this may seem trivial...but it is about a serious relationship with a godly guy/lifelong friend that the Lord asked me to sacrifice to Him. I have never heard His voice so clearly...I obeyed--it doesnt make sense, it isnt 'logical,' but He is glad that I did and that is what matters....but would you just lift it up? Specifically, that...-I would have discernment in the "practical living" near him...our families are closely knitted. We attend the same church, etc. There is a lot of contact with each other and I just need discernment in a lot of practical areas.

Thank you so much. Have a great day...and if there is anything I can answer/send, etc. that would help in my end of the communicating, I would be more than willing.

Amanda, With tears running down my face, I join my sisters who so quickly posted to you and we'll all be face down for this family. Face down "trusting" Psalm 84:11-12. When one of my babies died, Elisabeth Elliot, a good friend of mine, wrote me a letter sharing Matt. 11:1-6--about John in prison. John wanted to know if Jesus was who he thought he was -- Jesus replied to John: blind receive sight, dead rise, lame walk, lepers healed, and blessed are you John (who would be beheaded) blessed are those who are not offended in Me and whatever I choose to do in their lives... like this precious family losing their mom when they were just children. Elisabeth told me not to live offended by my God & Author---it was my 6th baby I had miscarried. You know Elisabeth's story---she had lost 2 husbands. What walking miracles these 3 adorable girls are that they embrace their good sovereign God in all they have been through! My prayer for Tiffani & her family are these two verses: Matt 14:29 - they were terrified in the boat and Jesus spoke one word---may these girls hear their Beautiful LORD saying that one word to them. And, Mark 6:38 - I pray for them that they all find their God of 5 loaves and two fish. Who Else can do this for your precious friend Tiffani? Joining you in prayer that Tiffani's surgery will go better than anyone expects. So touched by their story and your friendship---we all need Amanda's in our lives.Face Down with you, Bev

I wanted to let you know I prayed for this family and I am believing God to heal Sunni and Ava. I am also believing God to guide the surgeons hands Thursday and the surgery will be a success.

I praise God for hearing our cries for this sweet family and for doing the impossible. Nothing is too hard for our God!!!

If you don't care I would appreciate prayers for my family. The enemy has been hitting us hard since we moved. Also, my former church is on the verge of a split and please pray for thwm. It has been a long battle and I am standing with them in prayer and thank you for interceding for these requests!!

Dearest Sunni Via Amanda, I want you to know that I did just what she suggested. I laid my hands right on that computer-screen picture of you three and lifted you with faith and love before our Father in Heaven. I love you - even as little as I personally know you - because my girl loves you so much. She speaks of you in casual conversations so often. We're fighting the good fight of faith with you and your family, Sister, and look forward to rejoicing with you over tremendous victories. You are so dearly loved.

For Sunni and fam:The Lord bless you and keep you;the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward youand give you peace.Numbers 6:24-26

Prayer request:I know a family in Houston whose 13-yr-old son, Cameron, has an inoperable brain tumor that causes excruciating pain all the time. The family feels quite drained in many areas from time to time, and it's a constant struggle (they've been treating it for 3 or 4 years now). Please pray for healing and pain management, as well as refreshment for the family.

I am so glad that you posted this. I do not "personally" know Tiffani and her fam...but through the blog world I feel like I do. I posted something on my blog as well so as many people as possible will be praying!

Your post is both beautiful and very touching! I will absolutely be praying for Tiffani, Sunni and their entire family! I believe in the power of prayer and of laying on of hands in prayer. We serve an awesome God, who loves us fiercly. And thankfuly, we are a part of a heavenly family, who stands firmly together in love against all the firey arrows that the devil throws against us. I have so enjoyed reading yours and Sunni's blogs! I found you through "Holding Little Hands." -(One of my very favorite blogs!) Ya'll have been such a blessing me. Count me in!!!

She is SO not a complainer! I talked to her via email today and she never even mentioned one word about her own stomach bug or Ava's hospital visit. Thanks so much for letting me know. I've been praying for Tiffani, but now this gives me much more sepcific prayers to focus on.

Please pray for my Dad who is currently undergoing tests at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. He has advanced metastatic prostate cancer, and he is being tested to see if he is a candidate for a treatment through a "trial study." I am confident God is bigger than this cancer, and He can heal by medicine or by miracle! Thanks for your prayers, Amanda.

Amanda,Thanks for your post. I will be praying for Tiffani and Tim and the rest of the family during this surgery process. I found your blog through Sunni's and just love it. What a wonderful friend you are to Sunni...she is so blessed to have you in her life. I went to Baylor with Sunni and so I know what a huge blessing she is to those she is around. Her humor is so inredible and her heart is so genuine...Salt of the earth for sure! Kim

How beautiful the three of them are. I, too, join in prayer this morning for God to move in might and power!

Just this morning I read Exodus 15:13 over my own life, and this is what I pray over their entire family as well. "In Your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed. In Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling."

Lord, I ask by faith that You would be true to Your Word this morning in leading this family in the journey set before them. May Your strength guide them as they go forward, and I pray that You would fill them with powerful peace in the depths of their souls in knowing You will do it, and all they have to do is trust. May Your Presence be ever near them and, undeniable to them. In the One and Only Name that is Mighty to Save...Jesus.

May the LORD raise up all the Prayer Warriors right now, that they would be in the very room with this sweet family. May the Almighty God bring peace that passes all understanding and may each one of them rise up and sit in the loving arms of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amanda, you are an amazing friend and I will keep praying.

this is really long, but a friend sent it to me and it was an encouragement to me in the "hard stuff" of life that I am facing and I hope that it may be for your friend as well. the following is ALL Rick Warren...This is an absolutely incredible interview with Rick Warren, author of "Purpose Driven Life" His wife now has cancer, and he now has "wealth" from the book sales. In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

"People ask me, "What is the purpose of life?" And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body--but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.

God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.

God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain."

But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.

It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list.

He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Amanda,I definitely laid my hands on their beautiful faces and raised my voice in prayer for this sweet family. I felt such peace when praying for them - God has this covered and Tiffini will be more than fine. I fully believe the surgery will be easy and her recovery will be remarkably quick. Thank you for allowing me the honor of praying for them and I will continue to lift them up. I look forward to the update.God bless,Kim

Your blog is such an encouragement to me. I love that you listed verses for us to pray for Sunni and her family. Thank you for all you do to encourage others.

I almost feel bad about asking for your prayers as I'm sure you've received a ton of requests. But, if you think of it, I would love prayer for direction. I am at a crossroads in a number of areas at a time in my life when I thought my circumstances would be very different. Please pray for direction, wisdom and that I have the courage and faith to do what God seems to be directing.

Thanks for sharing your life through your sweet blog and for doing so much at Living Proof. I really enjoy reading your updates.

As I prayed for Tiffani and this precious family I asked Jesus to intercede for her. I know all the right things to pray...but I asked Jesus to intercede for her. He is so ABLE! And He is full of compassion. He always holds our hand as we walk through our "valley's of the shadow of death and we can fear no evil for He is with us." Amanda, the verses were perfect and I prayed them yesterday for this request. May God work and provide all their needs according to His riches in Glory.

I just found out one of my best friend's little boy has a large tumor on his brain stem. My friend's name is Gillian Peabody. Her little boy is Joseph. He was 3 in August. They were just at our house on Saturday. The surgery will be tomorrow (Friday) morning in Atlanta. PLEASE pray that everything goes well, that they get the whole tumor and that miraculously this will NOT be malignant. Thank you!

Thank you Amanda for loving your friend so much! I am late in posting, however, I have been praying for this precious girl since I read your post a few days ago. Just went to her blog to check on her update.

I was driving to my Community Bible Study this morning and was praying for Tiffani and her family. Then, "out of nowhere" you popped into my head...as clear as day. I thought of you and your prayers/Scriptures (listed on your blog). You just blessed my heart so much yesterday..especially the part about not being beyond "laying hands on a picture" (which I did!).

So, please know that as you ask someone to pray for your friend, there is someone also praying for you!!!!

Actually, I have been praying for you on Sat. Night/ Sun. mornings as you (the minister's wife) try to leave the house witha toddler. I am a PW but my girls are grown...and we are still late to church! giggle

Please know you are in my prayers. And, again, thank you for blessing me this week...I was having a tough week but The Lord used you to encourage and bless me.

You don't know me, but I went to A&M (Fightin' Texas Aggie class of 2005) and was a Breakaway vounteer on the Discipleship team my senior year, which I heard you were part of while you were there too. I found your blog several months ago through a friend of a friend (I think...hard to remember!).

I wanted to pass along a HUGE prayer request...again, for a family I don't know, but whose blog and prayer needs were passed along to me. It's the Sherrill family. John and Kelly have three sons, a five year old, a two year old, and their youngest son Kyle who was born in October 17 weeks early. As you can imagine he is facing some pretty difficult stuff in the NICU. John and Kelly are believers and are documenting their journey of faith and Kyle's journey on their blog: http://www.prayforkyle.com/. Their greatest need right now is prayer!

Besides a baby, what pregnant women get in return for surrendering their waistlines is nine months of thick, glorious hair. It’s a beautiful thing. However, when Baby is just a few months old (about the time Mommy is seeing hints of her returning waistline) it all falls out. Soon her face is framed by the re-growth—lovely inch-long hairs called baby bangs. This blog is named for that charming little phenomenon.